Keowee-Toxaway Basin Recovers to Stage 0 Drought

March 1, 2018

The Keowee-Toxaway Drought Management Advisory Group (KT-DMAG) announced today that due to recent rainfall and the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Hartwell and Thurmond reservoirs rising to levels that allow the KT Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) to recover to a lower stage, the Keowee-Toxaway (KT) River Basin has recovered to Stage 0 of the KT LIP (Low Inflow Protocol).
Stage 0, the first of five drought stages outlined in the LIP, is a low inflow watch stage that does not require actions. Stage 1 was proclaimed on Feb.13, 2018.

Under Stage 0, residents on Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee are no longer restricted on water withdrawals from the lakes for irrigation. Duke Energy reminds residents on both lakes of the requirement to return docks to their originally-permitted locations if docks were moved to follow the water when the basin was previously in a Stage 2 drought.

The LIP is a regional drought management plan used by major water users in the Keowee-Toxaway basin to share responsibility and set priorities for water conservation. The plan outlines specific actions for each stage.

Stages of the LIP are based on defined triggers, including reservoir storage and U.S. USACE Drought Plan status, the U.S. Drought Monitor and stream flow. The KT- DMAG reviews these triggers monthly during drought conditions.

The Keowee-Toxaway Drought Management Advisory Group (KT-DMAG) regularly reviews the drought status and recommends coordinated response efforts when the LIP is initiated. The group consists of representatives from large water users and federal and state resource agencies. The KT-DMAG and the LIP are outcomes of Duke Energy’s relicensing process for the Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project.

The Keowee-Toxaway River Basin is a tributary to the Savannah River Basin.